Water-heated mirror

ABSTRACT

The water-heated mirror includes a glass mirror panel having conduit means on the reverse surface thereof in heat exchange relationship therewith through which hot water flows to elevate the temperature of the glass panel and prevent condensation of moisture on the reflecting surface thereof.

United States Patent '[72] Inventor CharlesM.Smillie,lll 1,843,8282/1932 McNaughtwnw 350/61X 42201verness,0rchard Lake.Mich.480332,722,160 11/1955 Prutzman .4 350/61 [21] A ppl.No- 812,155 3305,2022/1967 Christensen 248/467 [22] Filed Apr. 1,1969 3.371448 3/1968 Butler.v 4/146X [4 1 111 .Iu y20,|97l 3,377,117 4/1968 Biscgw 248/467X3,394,697 7/1968 Lewis 165/171X 3.461.870 8/1969 VanLinge 4/145X FOREIGNPATENTS [541 yal 'f 'g mfigggg 602,619 3/1960 Italy 350/3 PrimaryExaminer-David Schonberg [52] U.S.Cl 350/61, ASsl-stamExaminer -rob H Ky usmer [s11 1m.C1ffff'f?i?1'..lfillifiiffffffi.if?$5353-Amehwhmemo'e*"bmBe'knap [50] FieldofScarch BSD/61,3, I I

310; 165/47, 168, 171; 4/145, 146, 148; 248/46 ABSTRACT: Thewater-healed mirror ineludes a glggs mirror I panel having conduit meanson the reverse surfae thereof in [56] Referencesfiml heat exchangerelationship therewith through whih hot water UNITED STATES PATENTSflows to elevate the temperature of the glass panel and prevent1,482,313 1/1924 Miethe 350/3 condensation of moisture on the reflectingsurface thereof.

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I r l 1' I: :I '1 ll '1 '1 '1 '1 I i :1 I1 :l H l l| l |l l| J l v l 1 4I 1 I F l6 1 5a 3 22 I PATENTEU JUL20 :97:

SHEET 1 UF 2 INVENTOR. CHARLES M. SMILLIE, III

BY Z6 (y t ATKZRNEYS PATENTEDJULZOIBYI 3,-59405 sum 2 OF 2 FIG.7

mvm'rorz. CHARLES M. SMILLIE,1]I

AT RNEYS llO WATER-HEATED MIRROR BACKGROUND or THE INVENTION Mirrors arefrequently provided in bathrooms and shower areas for use in shaving,combing the hair, and the like. When a person takes a hot shower or ahot bath, steam generated from the hot water used for bathing orshowering causes moisture to condense on the reflecting surface of themirror, thus making the mirror unusable for its usual purpose.

The present invention provides a means for flowing hot water throughconduit structure provided on the reverse side of the glass mirror panelin heat exchange relationship therewith. The flow of hot water causesthe glass panel to become warm and thus prevents the condensation ofmoisture on the reflecting surface, it being appreciated that moisturewill not condense on a surface which is at an elevated temperature.Several different structures are provided in accordance with the presentinvention for accomplishing the purpose". The mirror assembly thusprovided may easily be integrated into the existing conduit meansprovided in bathrooms. A fitting is disclosed which permits readyinstallation of the water inlet of the mirror to existing shower heads.The mirror assembly is relatively inexpensive and does not requireextensive modification of the bathroom plumbing for installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The water-heated mirror comprises a shellhaving a backwall with upstanding side and end walls. A glass mirrorpanel is glazed on the outer marginal edges of the upstanding walls todefine an interior chamber. Water conduit means are provided for theflow of hot water on the reverse surface of the glass mirror panelwithin the chamber interior. Hot water inlet means are provided for saidconduit means and outlet means are provided in the conduit means fordrainage of spent water therefrom.

IN THE DRAWINGS FIG. ljis a view in perspective of one embodiment of thewater-heated mirror of the present invention illustratively mounted inashower stall;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view ofthe mirror of FIG. 1.;

FIG. 3 is a view in section taken substantially along the line 3-3 ofFIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of the mirror taken substantially along theline 4..4 of FIG. 2 looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 5 isan enlarged view of the right-hand portion of'FlG. 4;

FIG. 6 -is a view in perspective of the fitting utilized to connect themirror to the water supply;

FIG. 7 is a front-elevational view of another embodiment of awater-heated mirror;

FIG. 8. is a sectional view takensubstantially along the line of FIG. 7lookingin the direction of the arrows and pivoted 90 in theclockwisedirection;

FIG. 9' IS a view in perspective of a further embodiment, of thewater-heated mirror;

FIG. 10 is a sectional view. taken substantially along the, line, l0.-.l0.of'FlG. 9 looking-in the-direction'of the arrows;

FIG. 11, is a-sectional view taken substantially. along the line 11-11of FIG. 9-Iook ing-in-the;direction of the-arrows;

FIG. 1-2 is a sectional view 0f=oncofthe suction-cups of FIG. 9.illustrating the mode of attachment thereof to the, mirror-assembly;and;

FIG. llisasectional viewillustrating magnetmeans for attaching-the;mirrorto-a support structure.

Referring-first to the-embodiment illustrated in FIGS. l6., it will benotedthat-the water-heatedmirror. 1'0:- is;.mounted=on the wall l2; of:a shower-stallbeneath theshower head 14 The mirror is'ofrelativelylargesize to result. inafullgview. ofthe upper portion of aperson 5 body. The mirror is mounted at approximately eye level so thatit may be used for shaving, combing of the hair, and the like.

The mirror assembly comprises a glass plate 16 having the usualsilvering thereon for reflecting purposes. The plate 16 is mounted in agenerally rectangular frame 18. The frame I8 comprises top and bottomelements 20, 22 and side elements 24, 26. The ends of these elements aremitred so that they will fit together in the desired rectangular shape.

The cross-sectional configuration of the frame elements is bestillustrated in FIG. 5. As will be there noted, each frame elementcomprises a sidewall 28 and a front wall 30 which extends at rightangles thereto. A first flange 32 extends from the inner surface of thesidewall 28 parallel to the front wall 30' and spaced rcarwardlytherefrom to define a channel for receiving an edge portion of the glassplate 16. The plate 16 is glazed into the channel by use of a suitableglazing material to firmly hold the glass in place and result in afluidtight joint.

A second flange 34 extends from the inner surface of the sidewall 28parallel to the first flange 32 and spaced rearwardly therefrom todefine a central channel 36. The flange 34 and rear portion of thesidewall 28 define an L-shaped recess. A rectangular panel 40 isreceived in this recess to form the backwall of the mirror unit. Thepanel 40 is illustratively fabricated of a waterproof fibrous material.However, other materials such as metal or plastic may be used tofabricate the panel 40. The panel 40 is secured in place by means of asuitable adhesive to result in the entire unit being fluidtight.

The mirror assembly thus far described defines a central space 42 whichis utilized to receive a sinuous tubular coil 44. The coil 44 is formedin a sinuous pattern having downwardly directed tubular portions 46 andupwardly directed portion'48 interconnected by two bends 50, 52. Thecoil 44 is of a size to substantially occupy the space 42 bothvertically and horizontally to thereby substantially cover the glassplate 16. The coil is placed in intimate, heat-exchange contact with theinner surface 54 of the glass plate 16. This may be accomplished by useof a suitable adhesive. The coil 44 may be fabricated of a metal such ascopper or it may be fabricated of a plastic material.

A portion 56-of the first downwardly extending coil section 46 extendsupwardly through an opening in the top frame member 20 and forms thewater inlet to the coil. A similar portion 58 of the last downwardlyextending coil section 46 extends through an opening in the lower framemember 22 to form the water outlet. A flexible tube 60 connects theinlet 56 with a tubular extension 62 of a fitting. 64. Asbest seen inFIG. 6, the fitting 64 comprises a section of pipe havingjone end 66externally threaded with the other end 68 being internally threaded.Thetubular extension 62 communicates' with the interior of the fittingand bypasses. part of the water which flows through the fitting. Theextemally threaded end 66 is threadingly received in the water outletfitting 70. The internally threaded end 68- threadingly receives theshower head 14. The fitting 64 permitsintegration of the mirror 10'-with a standard shower head arrangement without the need for extensivemodification of the shower head. A flexible'drain tube 74 extendsdownwardly from the outlet 58 for the passage of waterfrom the unit ontothe showerfloor for flushing through the usual drain provided therein.

In operation of the water-heated mirror 1'0, but water is caused to flowthrough the coil whenever the shower is turned on; The hot water flowingthrough the'coil 44-causes the glass panel 16 to become heated,thus-preventing condensation of moisture thereon. Consequently, themirror will remainclear even though the. shower area may-become steamy.

FIGS. 7 and 8 illustrate another embodimentof' a: water: heatedjmirror76. Thezmirror 76 comprises aagenerally rectangular-shell 78in which ismountedcarglassmirror'panelistl; The

shell 78-is-illustratively fabricatedof metal. However, the shell may beinexpensivelyformedof plastic. by the:vacuum-molding process. The shell78 comprises a backwall 81 having upstanding sidewalls 82. An L-shapedflange 84 is provided on the outer edges of the sidewalls 82 to define arecess to receive the glass mirror panel 80. The panel 80 is glazed intothe shell by use of a suitable adhesive to make the juncture of thepanel and shell fluidtight. A tubular inlet 86 is provided in the upperwall of the shell for connection to the hot water as described inconnection with FIG. 1. A tubular outlet 88 is provided in the lowerwall of the shell for drainage of water from the unit as previouslydescribed.

A plurality of laterally and downwardly extending vanes 90, 92 areprovided within the shell 78 to define a tortuous path for the flow ofhot water through the unit. The vanes 90 extend from the left-hand sideof the unit as viewed in FIG. 7 downwardly towards the right-hand side.The vanes terminate short of the opposite sidewall to provide an openingfor the passage of water. The vanes 92 extend from right to left asviewed in FIG. 7 and also terminate short of the opposite sidewall toprovide for an opening for the passage of water. As illustrated by thedotted arrows 94, water flows from the inlet 86 to the right and thenpasses downwardly and then flows from right to left. The water is indirect contact with the glass panel 80 and thus heats this panel toprevent condensation of moisture thereon. The water finally drainsthrough the outlet 88. The vanes 90, 92 in addition to guiding the waterflow, also serve as structural reinforcements for the unit. The vanesextend between the glass mirror panel 80 and backwall 81 of the shell 78to thus reinforce these walls. The sidewalls of the unit are similarlyreinforced by the connection of the vanes thereto.

FIGS. 9-l1 illustrate another embodiment of a waterheated mirror 96. Themirror 96 comprises a shell 98 in which the glass mirror panel 100 isglazed. The shell 98 comprises a backwall 102 having upstandingsidewalls 104, 106, top wall 108 and bottom wall 110. A notch 112 isprovided in the top wall 108. An opening 114 in the notch receives atubular inlet member 116 which is connected to the source of hot water(not shown). A peripheral flange 118 extends entirely around the shell98 outwardly from the outer edges of the walls 104, 106, 108, 110. Theglass mirror 100 has a sheet 120 of plastic material adhered to the rearsurface thereof. The sheet 120 in turn is adhered to the surface of theflange 118 in fluidtight relationship to result in the interior of theassembly being fluidtight. The sheet 120 serves to insulate the glassfrom direct contact with the hot water. Additionally, the sheet 120 maybe selected for easy adherence to both glass and metal, the shell 98being illustratively fabricated of metal.

A U-shaped molding strip 122 fabricated of plastic is providedaround'the marginal edge of the mirror assembly. The strip 122 hasflexible sidewalls with inturned lip portions 124, 126 to securely gripthe flange 118 and the marginal edge of the glass mirror panel 100. Themolding strip 122 is decorative and, additionally, tends to prevent theingress of moisture which would have a deteriorating effect upon theglazed edge portion of the shell 98, glass mirror panel 100, and plasticsheet 120. I

A plurality of cylindrical recesses 128 are provided in spaced-apartrelationship in the center of the backwall 102 of the shell 98. Therecesses 128 extend into contact with the sheet 120. The recesses 128serve to space the backwall 102 from the sheet 120 and also to reinforcethe structure. In addition, they serve to direct water flow uniformlythroughout the shell. Elongated recesses 130, 132 are provided on eachside of the cylindrical recesses 128. These recesses also engage thesheet 120 and serve the same purposes as the recesses 128.

Water is injected into the space 134 defined by the shell 98 and glassmirror panel 100. The water, which is at an elevated temperature, floodsthe space 134 and thus heats the glass mirror panel 100 to prevent thecondensation of moisture on the exterior surface thereof.

Means are provided to constantly drain the spent water from the space134. A plurality of spaced-apart notches 136,

138 are provided in each of the sidewalls 104 106. As will be noted inFIG. 10, the notches are substantially V-shaped. An

' opening 140 is provided in the upper wall portion 142 for the drainageof water as illustrated by the solid arrows 144. Water thus constantlydrains from the sides of the mirror unit. The lower wall portion 146 ofthe notches is angled downwardly to assist in the gravity flow of thewater. Additional spaced-apart openings 148 are provided in the bottomwall for the drainage of water as illustrated by the solid arrows 150 inFIG. 11. These drainage openings 140, 148 cause the water to flowuniformly within chamber134.

Four spaced-apart suction cups 152', illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 12, areprovided for securement of the mirror unit 96 to a supporting wallsurface. The suction cups 152 are held in place by means of screws 154which extend through openings in'the backwall 102 into threadedengagement with enlarged portions 156 of the suction cups. The mirrorunit may thus be applied to virtually any wall surface by merelypressing the suction cups into engagement therewith.

FIG. 13 illustrates an alternate means for mounting of the mirror 96. Asillustrated in FIG. 13, elongated permanent magnets 158, 160 are securedin the elongated recesses 130, 132 of the backwall 102. The magnets maybe secured in place by means of a suitable adhesive. ln mounting of themirror unit, the unit is merely pressed against the supporting wallsurface whereupon the magnets 158, 160 will hold the mirror in place. Itis, of course, necessary to have a wall surface which is metallic innature or which has a metallic portion thereon as, for example, themetallic trim frequently provided in modern bathroom designs.

lclaim:

1. An indoor water-heated mirror for use in steamy bath areas comprisinga glass mirror panel, water conduit means for the flow of hot water onthe reverse surface of said panel in heat exchange relationship with thepanel to heat the panel and prevent steam from condensing thereon, hotwater inlet means to said conduit means, outlet means in said conduitmeans for drainage of spent water therefrom, said water conduit meanscomprising a shell having a backwall with upstanding side and end walls,said glass mirror panel being glazed to the outer marginal edges of saidsidewalls to thereby define an interior chamber, and structure withinsaid chamber defining a flow path for hot water to cause flow of waterwithin the chamber in paths to pass substantially uniformly over thereverse surface of said glass mirror and in heat exchange relationshiptherewith, said structure within said chamber defining a flow path forhot water is a sinuous tubular coil in heat exchange relationship withthe reverse surface of said glass mirror panel.

1. An indoor water-heated mirror for use in steamy bath areas comprisinga glass mirror panel, water conduit means for the flow of hot water onthe reverse surface of said panel in heat exchange relationship with thepanel to heat the panel and prevent steam from condensing thereon, hotwater inlet means to said conduit means, outlet means in said conduitmeans for drainage of spent water therefrom, said water conduit meanscomprising a shell having a backwall with upstanding side and end walls,said glass mirror panel being glazed to the outer marginal edges of saidsidewalls to thereby define an interior chamber, and structure withinsaid chamber defining a flow path for hot water to cause flow of waterwithin the chamber in paths to pass substantially uniformly over thereverse surface of said glass mirror and in heat exchange relationshiptherewith, said structure within said chamber defining a flow path forhot water is a sinuous tubular coil in heat exchange relationship withThe reverse surface of said glass mirror panel.